Shrewsbury boss Steve Cotterill hails 'incredible' Luke Leahy
Steve Cotterill has hailed Luke Leahy as ‘incredible’ after Town’s captain went through the pain barrier to help his side to three points at the weekend.
Leahy had been suffering from an Elbow problem that had made him a doubt for Shrewsbury’s fixture against MK Dons at Montgomery Waters Meadow.
Leahy is one of a few Salop players who have featured in all 12 of their opening League One fixtures – and he has been vital to the team’s success with his energy and tough tackling in midfield.
And the boss said it was incredible the 29-year-old managed to play through the pain barrier.
“He was incredible,” the boss said on his skipper’s performance.
“He has done incredibly well to play today.
“Really really well.
“I had a conversation with him earlier in the week.
“He thought he was really struggling.
“And we thought that too.
“But he came in on Thursday morning which is where we predominantly do a couple of days of preparation for a game, and he said he wanted to play.
“And all credit to him - absolutely brilliant him doing that - because we would have been even lighter.”
Leahy was awarded the captaincy by Cotterill before Salop’s first game of the season at Morecambe.
And since he has had the armband, he has led the side well.
Last weekend the midfielder played at left wingback, in the absence of George Nurse and Jordan Shipley.
This weekend, he started the game in midfield alongside Carl Winchester but when Matthew Pennington was injured he moved to play at left centre-back where he put in one goal-saving challenge to deny Will Grigg.
Town were already missing Tom Flanagan through suspension – and with Marko Marosi and Julien Dacosta also being injury doubts the skipper would not have wanted anything else to go against his team, so he was desperate to play despite clearly being in pain.
Cotterill revealed that earlier the week it look very unlikely he was going to make it – but he praised his bravery and said it is selfless actions like these that make him Town’s captain.
He said: “I never thought he was going to play, certainly in the early part of the week when he had his arm strapped up, and he couldn’t move.
“It was really painful for him.
“But to play was brilliant and that is why he is the captain because he is prepared to do those things.
“If you see the tackle he put in at the end there which is probably the only time Chey Dunkley missed a bounce all day, and Luke was there on the cover.
“And then fell on his arm and hurt it. He has done incredibly well to play today.”
